SurfaceWIZARD is the newest control technology development from Makino’s EDM R&D. This technology provides exceptional surface quality in applications where the part has variable shape thickness or sudden changes in thickness, such as a stepped part. It will be an invaluable tool for shops manufacturing parts for the aerospace, medical and injection mold markets.

Witness Lines
Historically, when stepped parts have been Wire EDMed the process would leave a “witness” line at the transition from one step thickness to the next. Many times the part would have a taper with variations in straightness across the machined surface. SurfaceWIZARD virtually eliminates these lines and has been shown to maintain part straightness within 5 microns in one pass and within 2.5 microns in two pass machining.

SurfaceWIZARD technology has been developed for tool steels up to 4 inches (100mm) thick, and will support 0.008” (0.020mm) and 0.010” (0.025mm) diameter wires with one and two pass conditions. This technology was developed specifically for use in poor flushing conditions where the nozzles cannot be sealed on the work surface. The technology is available as a standard technology on all Makino SP and U series Wire EDMs with the MGW-S5 control.

Demonstrated at Die/Mold Expo
The new SurfaceWIZARD control will be demonstrated at the Makino Die/Mold Expo and EDM Forum to be held September 25 through September 28, 2007 at the Makino Die/Mold Technical Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. For more information on this and other Makino EDM innovations, contact Makino EDM Applications or Jeff Kiszonas, EDM Product Line Manager for Makino, at 248-232-6208.

About Makino
A world leader in advanced CNC machining centers, Makino provides a wide range of high-precision metal-cutting and EDM machinery, including horizontal machining centers, vertical machining centers, 5-axis machining centers, graphite machining centers, and wire and Ram EDMs. Our flexible automation solutions provide reduced labor costs and increased throughput in a variety of production volumes and designs. With Makino engineering services, we offer industry leading expertise for even the most challenging applications across all industries. For more information call 1.800.552.3288, or visit www.makino.com.

# # #

Images:
Stepped part (JPGTIF) showing how SurfaceWIZARD virtually eliminates lines at transition points.
Diagram (JPGTIF) illustrating the flatness that can be achieved with SurfaceWIZARD in two machining passes.